Every Picture tells a story – paintings of realistic and stylised animals

Stories

Story Telling and My Art

Apart from traditional images such as pet portraits, my paintings usually have a story to tell. The pictures I create may be inspired by poems, myths or legends or from some theme for a story that I have envisaged.

Up until now I have left viewers to create their own story about pictures formed from my imagination.

I don’t consider myself to be a writer as such, but having managed to get an image from my imagination onto paper I thought it would be nice for some writing to be available here to expand on the art for anyone who might be interested.

For some the more they know about a painting the more they can engage with it. That is to either like it or perhaps not!

Please read on and find below a little bit of storytelling by me. Or if you would like to see more reference material from poems, myths and legends click here.

Every Picture Tells a Story

Barn Owl with Stopwatch from the series of Lost Things.

“The late whisky smoothed his edges as he sat back, he savoured this warming and reassuring rite. Was that a tapping sound he heard, why would there be someone here at this hour? Hastily he made his way to the hallway and pulled back the lock. The door was stiff and heavy giving way to a rush of cold air.

Peering out a bird appeared in a dream like vision, mesmerising, hypnotising, bright and staring, piercing the depths of his being. He squinted, his breath misting his view, Tired hands rubbed at tired eyes, he wondered at himself, then he wondered at this night, and the bird on his gate.

Before his thoughts could gather themselves there was a rush and flurry of beating and feathers as the stillness of the barn owl transformed to commotion. It lifted from the gate and rushed toward the door in an arc, then rising up vanished above the house into the night sky.

Stunned he looked around the dark garden, and felt a deep chill from the night and the breeze as it gathered more force. Looking to his feet he noticed a glinting golden piece. Picking it up and with it the dancing chain, it was a stopwatch which he turned in his fingers to find the initials of a name he already knew but had never forgotten.”

2 Mackerel and the Emerald Locket from the Series of Lost Things

“Leaning over the side, she could see glimmering and shimmering flashes of light. She edged closer still unblinking. The moment passed and then it was too late. The locket had slipped free and all at once it was gone.”

23 Mackerel and the Lost Pearl from the Series Of Lost Things

“He looked out into the sea and sky and felt great awe and sadness. Holding the ring now he felt its meaning all at once. It is the time of your return he thought and with all his might flung it out into the abyss of the night.”